A low-cost 3D opto-mechatronic platform controlled by free-source software with optical and mechanical resolutions of 120 m and 10 m, respectively, was developed to fabricate micro-pedestals in grid presentation and diffractive optical elements such as micro-square and micro-slits. Direct laser writing (DLW) and low-one photon absorption (LOPA) were employed as the fabrication protocol and the physical phenomena involved in the platform control and development of the micrometric structures. A laser pointer, one of the lowest-cost lasers in the market, centered at 532 nm with an intensity of 65 mW, was used to polymerize the SU8-2050 photoresist through the DLW procedures. The printing process was carried out by using 5X and 10X microscope objectives with numerical apertures of 0.13 and 0.25, respectively. The point spread function demonstrated the geometrical variations and the field intensity distribution about the focal plane, where the Debye–Wolf approximation is valid, which were used for comparison purposes. In addition, ray tracing simulations were presented to demonstrate how light interacts with the SU8-film and how out of focus condition plays a fundamental role in the final size of the printed micro-pattern. Finally, two optical diffractive elements and their diffraction patterns in the Fraunhofer regime were presented.
This work contributes to the development of microfluidics devices in a simpler way and by keeping the cost of microfabrication as low as possible. Implementing methods to develop microfluidic devices and to have control over the channel size rapidly and easily have become a challenge. In the present work, direct laser writing (DLW) is proposed as a manufacturing technique to develop a T-junction microfluidic droplet generator operating in the squeezing regime. Owing to the channel size, DLW depends on both the focused laser spot properties and the interface material refractive indices. The Debye-Wolf theory behind this technique predicts the focal shift of the laser spot to avoid optical misalignment during the fabrication process. The Debye-Wolf theory and the COMSOL ray-tracing module are presented as complementary design tools. The flow rates and the channel sizes were investigated under the two-phase COMSOL module. Experimental droplet generation results were assisted with the solution of the Navier-Stokes equation with appropriate boundary conditions. Microdroplet size characterization, as well as simulations, show a linear tendency with the flow rate ratios (FRR). For FRR ranging from 0.25 to 2, droplet lengths from ∼ 320μm to ∼ 1050μm were observed. This information is confirmed by implementing a digital image processing protocol. The dynamics of droplets formation, strongly influenced by the input flow rate fluctuations caused by the syringes and micropump operation, are presented. This protocol aims the full control of these devices to perform potential applications, such as particle insulators, drug delivery, fluidic microlasers, among others.
En este trabajo presentamos la fabricación de nanopartículas de plata (Ag-NPs) por medio de ablación láser (AL) en medio acuoso, y su aplicación como elementos de realce de señales Raman a través de procesos tipo SERS. Esta metodología permite obtener suspensiones estables de NPs libres del uso de procesos químicos, con dispersiones de tamaños relativamente pequeñas y de fácil procesamiento para la implementación de sustratos SERS de sílice. A través del uso de alícuotas a diferentes concentraciones de Rodamina 6G (R6G), se demuestra que con estas Ag-NPs se alcanzan umbrales de detección de señal Raman en concentraciones del orden de nM. El estudio de la distribución de las Ag-NPs sobre un sustrato de sílice se llevó a cabo por microscopía de fuerza atómica (AFM). A su vez, se presentan algunos resultados de simulación de la magnitud de los campos generando hot spot en regiones específicas de las Ag-NPs tomando en cuenta la morfología de algunos de los aglomerados identificados por microscopía de barrido electrónico (SEM) en los sustratos SERS. En comparación con algunos reportes previos, el presente trabajo demuestra bajo umbral de detección e implementación sencilla en sustratos SERS.
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